November 2022

Bawaliba and Ngalyod (Rainbow Serpent)

‘My Kikka (mother), when she was alive, she would tell me these stories. I was just a  little girl and she would tell us the stories in her language Gurrgoni.

In the camps there were boy and girl Bawaliba, and old Bawaliba too. They loved to  dance by the firelight, keeping rhythm with a stick. They had lots of hair, they were  really tall and skinny, with spots on their bodies. The Bawaliba lived a long time in  peace. They were the only spirits on their country and so they were never disturbed.

One day, a long time ago, the Bawaliba were out hunting and they saw a large  snake- they didn’t know then but she was the Rainbow Serpent. They were really  scared, they had never seen that. creature before. She was really beautiful- like a  normal king brown snake but with a rainbow from the sky on her back. The rainbow  serpent was really hungry, and she could smell the Bawaliba from a long way away.  She was out looking for food.  The Bawaliba tried to stop Ngalyod coming for them but she was just too quick. She  snuck up behind the Bawaliba and before they could get away she ate them up.  When she was really full and couldn’t eat anymore Bawaliba she changed the rest of  them into stone. Still til this day, the Bawaliba stay on that same country as stones.’ Lucy Yarawanga

Bawaliba and Ngalyod (Rainbow Serpent)

‘My Kikka (mother), when she was alive, she would tell me these stories. I was just a  little girl and she would tell us the stories in her language Gurrgoni.

In the camps there were boy and girl Bawaliba, and old Bawaliba too. They loved to  dance by the firelight, keeping rhythm with a stick. They had lots of hair, they were  really tall and skinny, with spots on their bodies. The Bawaliba lived a long time in  peace. They were the only spirits on their country and so they were never disturbed.

One day, a long time ago, the Bawaliba were out hunting and they saw a large  snake- they didn’t know then but she was the Rainbow Serpent. They were really  scared, they had never seen that. creature before. She was really beautiful- like a  normal king brown snake but with a rainbow from the sky on her back. The rainbow  serpent was really hungry, and she could smell the Bawaliba from a long way away.  She was out looking for food.  The Bawaliba tried to stop Ngalyod coming for them but she was just too quick. She  snuck up behind the Bawaliba and before they could get away she ate them up.  When she was really full and couldn’t eat anymore Bawaliba she changed the rest of  them into stone. Still til this day, the Bawaliba stay on that same country as stones.’ Lucy Yarawanga

Buluwana (Kuninjku Spirit Woman) – J. Wurrkidj

This design depicts Buluwana (Kuninjku Spirit Woman) with a dilly bag on her head, holding a yam and digging stick.

“She’s an old lady from our ancestor creation time, before mimih spirits roamed the land. Her skin name is Wamuddjan– she is from the Dhuwa moiety. When the mimih came to our country, she turned into stone out Yikarrakkal and Manmoyi way.

She lives in a sacred place, where she turned to stone she lives there now forever. She is an important woman for my people.

I draw her because she my dreaming. I can’t tell the full story about Buluwana, because it’s a little bit secret, but it’s okay for me to paint her and share these parts. My people can know the full Buluwana story, and the djungkay (caretaker) can tell the full Buluwana story too.”

Mimi and Mongerrd

This story is about the two mimih brothers and mongerrd, at Kabari homeland in the rock country. “A long time ago, the mimih were living in the rock country. Mimih are tall, dark and very skinny spirits that live inside caves. One day, a group of mimih were sitting around the fire. Two brothers decided to go looking for sugar bag in the bush. The older brother was very upset with his younger sibling, because he knew the brother had been playing around with his wife, and he encouraged him to come look for sugar bag with him. The brothers found the native sugar bag, it was sweet like honey. It was in the middle of a hollow tree and so the oldest brother cut tree down by chopping at both sides. The tree fell and the older brother started to lick up that sugar. He told his little brother to lick some sugar bag too. The little brother was licking sugar bag when the older brother raised the stone axe behind his back, bought it down right on his neck and cut his head clean off. The guilty older brother then ran back to camp. Their mother saw the brother returning to camp alone. She asked, ‘Where is your little brother?’. He replied, ‘ I left him back there. He was eating the sugar bag’. The mother waited and waited, but the younger son did not return. She cried ‘Nangayeng nangeyeng galabarra djidjingdok’ (my son, my son, where have you gone?). The guilty big brother heard her singing and ran away into the bush. There was bad feeling at the camp, and so the mimih family packed up to leave the site. As they were walking they could hear more singing, and they were so frightened. The singing went ”mongerrd mongerrd mandjulah buwani buh” (Mongerrd is looking for the lost man). Mongerrd, a huge giant dangerous spirit stepped out of his cave- the mimih were terrified. The mimih stayed very still, because if they moved the Mongerrd would kill them with his miyarrdul (bommy-knocker). Then, the mimih family started running quickly, jumped and changed into birds and hid underneath leaves. Mongerrd kept searching for them, passing them not realising they were hiding underneath leaves in the shape of birds. When he had walked straight passed them, they morphed back into themselves, and speared him in the back, killing Mongerrd and he fell to the ground.” This print was created using the etching technique. It is a limited edition of 20 fine art prints, created in Maningrida in 2019.

Djomi Spirit

“This design is Djomi, my mum’s Dreaming. It is the baby Dreaming. Djomi are child spirits living in Maningrida down near a fresh water little swamp. In that swamp there are a big mob of baby spirits and they are crying every night looking for their mothers. If women go down there and drink the sweet fresh water, that baby spirit might come and find the right mother. Then the next day that woman, she will be pregnant! My son, I heard him crying before he was born down at bottom camp. He came all the way from Djomi spring looking for me, now he nine years old.” The Djomi sacred site is located on the coast of Maningrida, surrounded by trees. It is a highly sacred place belonging to the Kunibidji people of Maningrida. This print was created using the Japanese Woodblock technique. It is a limited edition of 20 fine art prints, created in Maningrida in 2019.

Bawaliba and Ngalyod (Rainbow Serpent)

‘My Kikka (mother), when she was alive, she would tell me these stories. I was just a  little girl and she would tell us the stories in her language Gurrgoni.

In the camps there were boy and girl Bawaliba, and old Bawaliba too. They loved to  dance by the firelight, keeping rhythm with a stick. They had lots of hair, they were  really tall and skinny, with spots on their bodies. The Bawaliba lived a long time in  peace. They were the only spirits on their country and so they were never disturbed.

One day, a long time ago, the Bawaliba were out hunting and they saw a large  snake- they didn’t know then but she was the Rainbow Serpent. They were really  scared, they had never seen that. creature before. She was really beautiful- like a  normal king brown snake but with a rainbow from the sky on her back. The rainbow  serpent was really hungry, and she could smell the Bawaliba from a long way away.  She was out looking for food.  The Bawaliba tried to stop Ngalyod coming for them but she was just too quick. She  snuck up behind the Bawaliba and before they could get away she ate them up.  When she was really full and couldn’t eat anymore Bawaliba she changed the rest of  them into stone. Still til this day, the Bawaliba stay on that same country as stones.’ Lucy Yarawanga

Rrugurrgurda (Mud Crab)

Garriwa (Sea Turtle)

A detailed lino print design depicting garriwa (sea turtle)  surrounded by sea shells and dolphins.

Elizabeth is from the Burrarra language group and her homeland is Gupanga, Arnhem Land.  

Printed by hand in our Maningrida studio. 

Djomi and Yokkara

This design depicts the story of the artist’s ancestral dreaming, the Djomi fresh water spirit mermaid.

The Djomi figure is a mermaid like spirit with fish tail that lives in the fresh water stream that flows out to the sea cliff near Maningrida. Djomi is a known to be a very powerful fertility symbol.

‘If you go there you can get pregnant easily. Djomi has babies, and they can give others babies too. The Djomi spirit is so powerful, that women can end up with multiple babies at once, twins or sometimes even more. The Djomi spirits lay eggs near the sacred freshwater stream in Maningrida. Inside the eggs are human babies as well as young Djomi.

Men do not go near that swamp, because Djomi is so powerful that men might get pregnant there too. So men, they are too scared of that Djomi. When we visit the Djomi freshwater spring, we can hear young Djomi crying. They sound like normal babies crying, those Djomi spirits. They are looking for a mother.

This Djomi is my dreaming, I got permission from my djunguys to paint this Djomi design. For me I always ask my djunguy permission to paint, because that is our cultural way.

This design also depicts the fresh water lily leaves, and seaweed from the base of the sea floor.